Those sopes de picadillo are made with a flavorful minced meat mixture and topped with lettuce, cheese, cream, and salsa. Enjoy this budget-friendly meal any day of the week!

About The Recipe

Sopes de picadillo is a traditional and popular dish from Mexico. It consists of a corn sope topped with minced meat and garnished with lettuce, cream, cheese, and salsa.

The recipe changes from region to region and even from family to family. It is a budget-friendly preparation that can be also found as sopes de carne molida. Carne molida means minced meat.

For instance, the picadillo for topping sopes can be made by just cooking the minced meat with spices in a pan, or even boiling it in water like it’s done for sopitos de Colima.

Or it can be cooked with vegetables and sauce to make the popular Mexican picadillo. And that’s exactly how we made it.

Whenever I make picadillo I like to double the recipe so I get some leftovers and enjoy them through the week.

Sometimes I just like to fix some quick tacos with warm tortillas, toppings, and salsa, or use the mixture to stuff it in quesadillas.

But definitely, my favorite are sopes de picadillo. I just can’t get enough of them! Sopes have been always my favorite Mexican street food.

Sopes de Picadillo served on a platter with salsa on the side.

Sopes, on the other hand, are small and thick tortillas made with corn masa. It can be prepared with many toppings. From meat to vegetables, cheese, sauce, and anything your heart desires.

They can be found in Mexican supermarkets, piled and packed in small bags of 10 pieces.

Otherwise, you can make them at home. No worries, they are very easy to make them once you practice a little bit, and they also freeze wonderfully, so you can prepare a large batch and have them ready for a quick and easy dinner.

Ingredients Needed

  • SOPES: You can find sopes already made at many Mexican food stores or you can make them by yourself with our easy homemade sopes recipe.
  • PICADILLO: For the minced meat mixture you can use any type of meat, such as beef, pork, or chicken. Then add potatoes, bell peppers, and any other vegetables you prefer
  • TOMATO SAUCE: Just a little bit to make the juicy picadillo mixture.
  • SPICES: Garlic, salt, and pepper.
  • TOPPINGS: I used in this recipe shredded lettuce, onions, Mexican crema, and queso fresco. Use anything you have on hand. Some options are shredded cabbage, fresh tomatoes, or also pickled chilies.
  • SAUCES: You have plenty of options for sauces, you can make your own homemade salsa (recipes below) or use your favorite brand of store-bought Mexican salsa.
Ingredients to assemble sopes de picadillo on various bowls on a marble surface.

How To Make Sopes de Picadillo

Heat oil in a cooking pan. Add onions, bell peppers, and meat.

Season with salt, garlic, and pepper, then cook until meat is no longer pink and vegetables have softened (about 10 minutes).

Picadillo ground meat, onions, and chilies cooked on a pan.

Add tomato sauce and 1 cup of water, mix well and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and allow to cook for 10 minutes, then mix in potatoes and keep cooking until potatoes are nicely tender.

Fully cooked Mexican picadillo on a pan.

Once potatoes are cooked through, let the picadillo’s sauce reduce to your liking. I like mine a little saucy but you can actually let the liquid evaporate almost completely.

Assemble

Fry sopes in a little bit of oil until they’re lightly crispy on the bottom. Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Fried sopes placed on a plate lined with kitchen paper towels.

Place sopes on a serving plate. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the picadillo mixture.

Sopes being topped with picadillo mixture.

Next, add a bit of shredded lettuce and sliced onions on top.

Last, add cream and cheese, then finish with a good drizzle of your favorite salsa. I used salsa roja, you can find the recipe listed below.

Two sopes de picadillo just assembled with all toppings on a small plate.

Serve sopes de picadillo immediately along with your favorite drink, check below for some ideas!

Recipe Notes

  • Use an extra-lean cut if you want to cut off calories or a medium-fat cut for a richer flavor.
  • Other vegetables can be added to the meat mixture, such as carrots, celery, green beans, peas, etc.
  • You can add some chili peppers like jalapeños or serrano. Cut them and cook them with bell peppers.
  • Instead of frying sopes, you can spray or brush them with a bit of oil and then heat them in the oven for about 5 minutes at 390°F/200°C.
Close-up of sopes de picadillo.

Best Salsas To Use

You can eat those sopes de picadillo as they are because the mixture is already saucy, but for a spicy kick, here are some salsas that go perfect to serve with this recipe:

  • Guacamole Salsa. Not the dip, but actually a creamy sauce that is perfect for tacos, sopes, quesadillas, and pretty much anything.
  • Fake guacamole: Sabe as above but without avocado! You should really try it, is delicious.
  • Salsa Taquera. Mild spicy sauce, perfect for tacos.
  • Salsa Roja. Made with tomatoes and red chilies.

What Drinks To Pair

How To Store

If you want to make picadillo sopes for a party make sure you store each ingredient in separate containers, here’s how:

  • The Mixture: Last for up to 3 days in the fridge or it freezes wonderfully for up to 2 months.
  • Sopes: Those corn cakes last for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer nicely wrapped with cling film.
  • Lettuce and onions: Make sure lettuce is nicely dried with no moisture left, then place in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Onions last up to 4 days.
  • Cream and cheese: Refer to the package for storing recommendations.
  • Salsa: Depending on which salsa you using, it can last for up to 5 days in the fridge in a jar or glass container with a tight lid.
Sopes de Picadillo recipe.

Sopes de Picadillo

20 sopes
Sopes de picadillo meat is a delicious and easy Mexican dish that comes together with a few ingredients for any weeknight dinner.
prep 15 minutes
cook 30 minutes
total 45 minutes

Ingredients 

For sopes

  • 20 small sopes (see notes)
  • 1 small iceberg lettuce head (chopped)
  • 1 small red onion (finely sliced)
  • Mexican crema (or sour cream)
  • queso Fresco (as needed)
  • salsa (see notes)
  • oil for frying

For Picadillo mixture

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 ½ cups potatoes (cut into small cubes)
  • 1 large bell pepper (cut into small strips)
  • 1 medium onion (finely chopped )
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a cooking pan. Add onions, bell peppers, and meat.
  • Season with salt, garlic, and pepper, then cook until meat is no longer pink and vegetables have softened (10 minutes).
  • Add tomato sauce and 1 cup of water, mix well and bring to a simmer.
  • Cover the pan and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
  • Mix in potatoes and keep cooking until potatoes are tender.
  • Let the picadillo’s sauce reduce to your liking.

Assemble sopes

  • Heat up a good glug of oil in a frying pan.
  • Fry sopes until they’re lightly crispy on the bottom.
  • Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
  • Place sopes on a serving plate. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the picadillo mixture.
  • Add a bit of lettuce and sliced onions on top.
  • Add cream and cheese to your liking.
  • Last, finish with a good drizzle of your favorite salsa. I used salsa roja, you can find the recipe listed below.
  • Serve sopes de picadillo and enjoy.

Notes

  • Make your sopes at home following our easy video tutorial. 
  • I used salsa roja for serving those sopes. Read the post for more salsa ideas.
  • Other vegetables can be added to the meat mixture, such as carrots, celery, green beans, peas, etc.
  • You can add some chili peppers like jalapeños or serrano. Cut them and cook them with bell peppers.
  • Instead of frying sopes, you can spray or brush them with a bit of oil and then heat them in the oven for about 5 minutes at 390°F/200°C.
  • Nutritional info doesn’t include cheese and cream.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1sope | Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 248mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 313IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg
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